The School of Rock invites talented up-and-coming musicians to perform at The Wharf. Get ready for an artist showcase at Pearl Street Warehouse this Saturday and Sunday.
OMCP’s Jason Fraley Presents School of Rock (Part 1)
the school of rock invites talented and promising musicians to perform at the Wharf.
Get ready for an artist showcase at Pearl Street Warehouse this Saturday and Sunday.
“School of Rock is more like a team sport than an individual activity, so we’re training and putting on a great weekend of concerts,” DC/Cleveland Park owner Chris Cook told WTOP. “This weekend the kids are going to play Queen and Pink Floyd. … We also have a very strong adult program. They will be playing 2000s rock, John Mellencamp & Friends.
Cook’s location is one of five in the immediate DC area, including Silver Spring, Maryland, and Vienna, Ashburn and Alexandria, Virginia, among 300 global locations.
The title, of course, comes from Richard Linklater’s 2003 film “School of Rock” starring Jack Black, but that’s not why Cook got involved. His story is much more personal.
“I have a son who had a kidney transplant about nine years ago,” Cook said. “I played sports, my ex-wife played sports, her dad worked for the NFL. … We have a very sports-oriented family, but we have a child who unfortunately can’t play team sports. We found School of Rock as a team building activity for him and it literally changed our child’s life.
How do budding musicians sign up to get started?
“Go to our site and you can find the local location,” Cook said. “On the front of the website it says to request a free trial lesson. When you fill in that info he sends it to me, I reach out and get in touch…then we arrange a free half hour lesson for the student to come down, check out the place…and see if it’s something something he wants to participate in.”
If they think it’s right for them, they can sign up for regular lessons and group practice.
“We started in early October,” Cook said. “Every week they have a private 45-minute lesson to teach them the songs, so when they come to band rehearsal they’re prepared. … A lot of our students buy their own instruments … but we have lots of guitars, lots of drums, lots of keyboards if you don’t have the instruments at home.
What musical genres will they learn to play?
“We have a new season starting in February,” Cook said. “The seasons we’re going to do are Women in Rock, Southern Rock, The Rolling Stones – that’s it for high school kids – then for adults we’re doing Seven Deadly Sins and Country Rocks.”
It’s all built on live gigs, including this weekend at Pearl Street Warehouse.
“It’s fun,” Cook said. “A lot of us grew up playing air guitar in our basement or singing in a bullpen, wanting to be rock stars and not fulfilling that fantasy. We play in venues where you can’t not buy you out. … The fun is getting on stage with the lights on, the mics on and a crowd cheering you on. That’s what we offer.
It’s equally fun for the audience sitting in the crowd and rooting for it.
“We’ve all done things in our lives where we were just getting started and it’s really scary,” Cook said. “Having a group of people in front of you to cheer you on, support you, even when you make a mistake, that’s really important. … You’ll see the kids sticking around for the adult shows and the adults sticking up for the kids shows.
Tickets are $10 per show.
OMCP’s Jason Fraley Presents School of Rock (Part 2)
Listen to our full conversation here.